The Cargill Cocoa Promise Working together for tomorrow's cocoa

Cargill believes that better cocoa beans mean better quality products for our customers – and that producing better beans creates benefits for us and for cocoa producing communities around the world. To secure this quality, we have created the Cocoa Promise: it is a commitment that builds on the company’s work over the past ten years and reconfirms Cargill’s efforts to grow and sustain cocoa farming communities while meeting the growing global demand for sustainable cocoa beans.

Why sustainable cocoa?

Cocoa and chocolate products’ demand is rapidly soaring, and their supply is becoming ever more difficult to secure. In addition, consumers are becoming more and more aware of sustainability issues and want the products they consume to be respectful of people and the environment.Cargill believes in having a positive impact on the communities we work with by improving the livelihoods of farmers, increasing access to education and healthcare, and providing better access to technology, finance and infrastructure. Sustainable cocoa farming has therefore become a vital long-term goal in our business.

What is the Cocoa Promise?

Through our commitment, Cargill continues to invest and provide financing, training and support to strengthen a sustainable cocoa supply chain in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil. The Cocoa Promise is based on three main pillars:

Farmer training: farmers are the real heroes of the cocoa community. Working in partnership with local agencies, Cargill offers farmer training designed to increase farms’ productivity and yield, to extend capacity in farmer cooperatives, and to raise quality standards through certification.

Community Support: we work with communities in areas that need the most support, such as children’s rights protection, education, and increased access to health and safety services.

Farm development: we encourage the establishment of healthy farming systems and self-sufficient farming communities, through the regeneration of farmland and the protection of biodiversity.

Who does Cargill partner with?

A sustainable cocoa farming sector cannot be achieved alone. To leverage different areas of expertise, Cargill works in close partnership with customers, farmer organizations, governments, NGOs, and certification bodies (such as UTZ and RFA). The Cargill Cocoa Promise means a better deal for everyone:

For farmers: we empower them to be more self-sufficient and sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally.

For customers: while providing the highest quality products, we help them meet their sustainability commitments, which in turn enhance their relationship with consumers.

For farmer organizations: through our close partnership, it is easier for them to secure better market access and a fairer price for their beans, while sharing good agricultural practices.

For cocoa producing communities: we invest in essential infrastructure like schools, orphanages and healthcare centers.

What have we achieved so far?

Cargill’s achievements to support sustainable cocoa production include:

Over 60,000 Ivorian farmers trained.

Over 12 million USD paid out to farmers as sustainable cocoa premiums payments through 43 UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certified cooperatives.

A partnership with CARE improving access to education and healthcare in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

Want to know more about the Cocoa Promise? You can find here all information about cocoa sustainability at Cargill.